First “Cigar Bar” Experience

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Epip Oc'Cabot

Can't Leave
Oct 11, 2019
468
1,296
Even though I am a grey-haired and bearded old “codger”, I still sometimes get to have a new experience or two. In regards to smoking, pipes and pipe tobaccos have been at least 95% of my effort over the decades. I have had a few occasional cigars over the decades, but truth-be-told I suspect most of those were of the “King Edward” and “White Owl” varieties, which were “ok” but did not encourage me to explore cigars further.

Well, I had the opportunity to go with my wife on a work trip for HER, and I was able to be free to pretty much do what I damn well pleased while she was involved in the work duties. No pipe shops that I could find in this city, except a cigar shop that carried a handful of pipes and a very few pipe tobacco blends in bulk in glass canisters. I decided to go visit it anyway thinking I still might spy something of interest.

Once inside, the pipe and pipe tobacco offerings were minor as I had surmised from looking at the place online. But, the cigar humidor was quite impressive….. bigger than a larger kitchen with several hundred cigar varieties. AND I had not noticed online but they had a smoking lounge with a bar. “What the hell?” I thought…. “Sounds like it could be enjoyable.”

I ended up selecting a Arturo Fuente Hemingway cigar, and enjoyed it with a draft “Two Hearted” IPA on their patio where it was a pleasant ~65 degrees with light sun and a gentle breeze. It was quite pleasant and enjoyable. Most assuredly the most tasty cigar I have ever had, and I always enjoy most any “hoppy” beer.

Not sure if the big cigar folks would say an Arturo Fuente Hemingway is a good or mediocre cigar, but for me… it was so pleasant and enjoyable, I am going to start exploring a few more cigars from now on. They will be unlikely to ever be as preferred by me as my pipes….. but it was really a damn nice experience…. One I hope to replicate again in the future.
 

bluegrassbrian

Your Mom's Favorite Pipe Smoker
Aug 27, 2016
6,535
61,859
41
Louisville
Hemingways were my toe-dip into cigars too. They helped me learn that I prefer Cameroon wrappers by steering me toward the Fuente Don Carlos line.

Plenty of good cigar/pipe shops in my city, but for an indoor experience one has to cross the Ohio in to Indiana. I don't mind visiting one of their "lounges" for a smoke, but extended visits can get hairy. I'm a smoker, technically, but existing within a cloud of secondhand cigar smoke is not my idea of a good time.
 

jttnk

Lifer
Dec 22, 2017
1,668
10,382
Phoenix, AZ
Hemingways were my toe-dip into cigars too. They helped me learn that I prefer Cameroon wrappers by steering me toward the Fuente Don Carlos line.

Plenty of good cigar/pipe shops in my city, but for an indoor experience one has to cross the Ohio in to Indiana. I don't mind visiting one of their "lounges" for a smoke, but extended visits can get hairy. I'm a smoker, technically, but existing within a cloud of secondhand cigar smoke is not my idea of a good time.
True, good ventilation is huge in an indoor lounge, also capacity. Once, in a Dallas cigar lounge, I had to step outside to enjoy my cigar as it was so crowded and smokey, it detracted from the experience.
 

BenMN

Lifer
Jun 21, 2023
1,884
32,447
St. Paul, MN
[...] It was quite pleasant and enjoyable. Most assuredly the most tasty cigar I have ever had [...]
but it was really a damn nice experience…. One I hope to replicate again in the future.
This is the way it's supposed to be. Glad you had a nice time.

PS Nothing wrong with a Fuente. Like bluegrassbrian, I am a big fan of their Reserva Don Carlos line, specifically numbers 3 and 4.
 

jbfrady

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 27, 2023
662
2,636
South Carolina
Not sure if the big cigar folks would say an Arturo Fuente Hemingway is a good or mediocre cigar, but for me… it was so pleasant and enjoyable, I am going to start exploring a few more cigars from now on. They will be unlikely to ever be as preferred by me as my pipes….. but it was really a damn nice experience…. One I hope to replicate again in the future.
Cigar Aficionado has a segment where they ask a famous interviewee to talk about their favorite cigar. I've been surprised at how many of them - from Michelin starred chefs to professional athletes - choose Hemingway Short Stories.
 
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